Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-08-12
And One Hundred and Fifty Wounded
and Mangled People Live to Tell
the Tale of the Horrible
Catastrophe
A Most Heart.Rending scene as the Bod
les were Taken out and Cared for
by those Able to Assist.
Thieves Commence to Plunder the POck-
cts of the Victims Almost as Soon
as the Accident Occurred.
CHICAGO. Aug. |

CHICAGO, Aug. IL.
Reports were received in Chicago this
morning that an excursion train on the
Toledo. Peoria & Warsaw railroad went
through a bridge at Chatsworth, Illinois, late
last night and that one hundred people were
killed and injured.
Dispatches from Peoria say that the train
consisted of fifteen cars and was enroute to
Niagara Falls. A rellet train with twenty
four doctors has gone from Peoria to the
scene of the accident.
| dispatch from Chatsworth says the train
left Bloomington last night tor Niagara Falls
on the Illinois Central, the intention being to
go by that road as far as Chatsworth, and
thence by way of the Toledo, Peoria and
Warsaw road. The change was made at
Chatsworih in Livingstone county, and soon
afterward. as the tram neared Piper city, a
small town III Ford county, the bridge cross
| ing over the Vermllion river gave away,
plugging the engine and several cars down a
steep embankment into the stream. The
cars caught fire from the lamps and fearful
panic ensued.
On Investigation it was found that nearly
one hundred eXcursionists were killed or in
jured.
The conductor of Chicago aud Alton
passenger tram, just arrived in Chicago from
Bloomington, where the Toledo, Peoria and
Warsaw and the Chicago and Alton railways
connect, learned from one of the conductors
OF the tirst named road that the excursion
| train while on the bridge near Piper City
came into collision with another train, going
in an opposite direction. The cars OF the
excursion train were piled up on each other
in frightful confusion and from the shock of
the collision the bridge gave away and sever
al cars went down into the stream. The
conductor says the killed number between
forty and fifty aud that the injured are more
than twice that number The accident oc
| CURED sometime between midnight and four
o'clock this morning
The information received at the Illinois
Central office in Chicago is that the train
consisted of two engines aud sixteen coaches.
culvert has been burned away about two
miles east of Chatsworth, presumably by
prairie fires and about l o'clock this morning
| the engines ana coaches went over. gen.
tleman at Chatsworth reports that over one
hundred are killed and a like number in
| jured. He can give no further particulars.
| IwO Peoria gentlemen who had intended to
| take the iil-faled train reached Chicago this
morning, having at the last moment selected
another route east. They say the train was
made up at Peoria so that PROBABLY the ma
| lority of the victims are from that city or its
immediate vicinity. Twelve cars started
frsm Peoria including four sleepers. At
tsched to the train was the private car of the
| superintendent Of the road which was TO be
occupied by himself and son.
A despatch from Chstsworth says the two
engines were completely wrecked, together
with ten coaches and baggage cars. Engineer
McClintock was instantly killed. Two fire
men and the other engineers escaped with
| serious injuries. The ten cars were piled on
top of the two engines, being telescoped and
piled across and on top Of one another. 1t is
miraculous how any escaped as the coaches
and engines do not occupy over two car
| engts OF the tracks and are all on top of the
road bed. In one coach not person es-
capped. In another only woman. Seventy
dead have been taken out up to this time and
one hundred wounded are now in Chatsw orth
in the town hall, school house, depot etc.
At Piper City there are large number of
wounded, over fifty. The dead are estimated
at over one hundred. The cars caught fire
but the flames were put out by the train men
and passengers. A heavy rain set 10 about
two hours after the wreck, before the wound
ed could be taken away. The people did all
they could for the wounded. Dispatches re-
ceived at Peoris up to IL o'clock this morn
ing from the scene of the accident confrm
the report that fully one hundred are killed.
| Dispatches from Superintendent Armstrong
of the T. 2. and W., says one hundred and
ten bodies have so far been taken out of the
wreck at Chstsworth.
| Chicago special to the Journal says it is
estimated that the number killed will reach
203; wounded, l50.
| CHArswoRTH, Ills, Aug. IL
An excursion train of two engines and If
teen cars loaded with some four hundred
| pleasure seekers from Peoria and vicinity,
left Peoris at A. NJ. yesterday en- route to
Niagara Falls.
The train took or an extra car at Bloom
ington, leaving there last night on the Illi-
nois Central.
At this point the train was switched onto
the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw road.
Two miles from here near Piper city, the
bridge crossing the Vermillion river has been
burned by pfarie fire, and the train went
through, at one o'clock this forenoon.
The two engines we're completely wrecked
also the baggage cars and the ten passengers.
The coaches Of the latter we're telescoped and